Wasteland 2 combat improvements on the horizon

Now well into its early beta-testing phase, post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 2 is all about roadmaps. While developer inXile Entertainment is—quite logically—intently focused on the nastiest game-breaking bugs, the Kickstarter project will also be seeing some "significant" tweaks to combat, according to the latest report from CEO Brian Fargo.

Refinement to the recently added destructive cover mechanic, the "likely" addition of a crouching stance, and a "special attack system" for specific weapons are some of the changes reported by Fargo. A lot of these tweaks—and the current experience for players testing the game—probably hinge on the fact that the complete game story hasn't been seen yet. As we heard when the playable beta saw launch through the Steam Early Access program last month, only about 30 percent of the game levels were opened to player testing.

"Keep in mind the combat you see in the beta is only the earliest levels in the game, where enemies are more straightforward and do not have the wide variety of special moves, AoE attacks and more advanced AI of later-game enemies," Fargo writes. "The enemy AI is quite varied as you get into the later stages, once you've sufficiently learned the base controls and rules of the experience."

Also arriving "in the not too distant future" is an update to the beta build that, according to Fargo, will not be compatible with current saved games.

"However, there will be plenty of reasons to play the game from the start, as there will be significant changes to existing areas, and tie-ins between all the beta areas that are worth exploring," Fargo writes. "New content is not just a matter of pasting a new area to the end of the beta, when we unlock that area we also unlock the tie-ins and NPCs and locations it is tied to."

He promised a warning before the new build sees release so we'll be sure to keep an eye out for it. The latest set of patch notes can be read here , but they include story spoilers so peruse at your own risk.